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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536052">such unimaginable things</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/myriophyllous/pseuds/myriophyllous'>myriophyllous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Druck | SKAM (Germany)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amusement Parks, Angst with a Happy Ending, Banter, Canon Trans Character, Fluff and Smut, Haunted Houses, M/M, New Jersey, POV Alternating, Pizza, Saltwater Taffy, Zeppoles, all the best things about the boardwalk including:, i'm so glad that new jersey is a tag, summertime beachy vibes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:02:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,651</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/myriophyllous/pseuds/myriophyllous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Matteo is trying to savor his last summer down the shore with his friends. He spends his time making endless pizzas at work on the boardwalk, enjoying drinks on the beach, playing games of skee-ball at the arcade, and enduring one too many painful sunburns. </p><p>But deep down, he’s terrified of what his future holds after this summer - and he can’t shake the feeling that something is missing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matteo Florenzi/David Schreibner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>The pizza oven was on the fritz, the supply of pepperoni was rapidly dwindling, a line twenty people long was waiting on their slices, and Matteo was <em> far </em> too high for this. </p><p>“Order number 235!” Carlos shouted, handing slices of veggie pizza to a pair of girls in bikinis while flashing them a sharp smile. They grabbed their slices and scampered away, giggling and looking back at Carlos over their shoulders. </p><p>“Man!” Abdi shouted, elbowing Carlos in the side as he pulled a buffalo chicken pizza out of the smoking oven, “You are the worst - you’ve got a girlfriend and still these chicks are all over you, I can’t compete with this!” </p><p>Carlos shoved him back, laughing. “Don’t mock my pain!” Abdi shouted back, “It’s just so unfair - Matteo doesn't even <em> like </em> girls and all he does is stand in the back corner and silently make pizza, and he <em> still </em> gets asked out at least once a week!” </p><p>Matteo giggled and turned around, tossing his pizza dough in the air with a practiced flourish. “It’s my quiet Italian smolder, don’t you know, Abdi. We all know every Jersey girl loves a man that can cook.” </p><p>Abdi’s face darkened. “It’s hopeless, guys - this was supposed to be my summer, and it’s been weeks already with no luck. And you two are no help at all - Where’s Jonas? He should be here by now, it’s getting dark - he must be done at his fancy internship by now.”</p><p>As if on cue, Jonas jogged into the restaurant, pushing through the boardwalk crowds while trying to tie his apron on. “Hello, children, have you missed me?” </p><p>“Finally, dude! Get on the register, this line is crazy!” Carlos yelled, shoving Jonas behind the counter. Jonas finished tying his apron and paused for just a second to walk back to where Matteo was standing, giving him a quick fist bump. </p><p>“Sorry, dude - the copier jammed and I got stuck late fixing it. Why a non-profit focused on marine wildlife conservation is making so many copies, I don’t know, but -“ Jonas stopped and looked closely at Matteo. “Are you ok, man?” </p><p>“Me?” Matteo giggled again, slopping some sauce onto the dough spread out in front of him, “I’m great, I’m so good, I’m doing amazing -”</p><p>“Oh, so you’re high as fuck? Luigi, Luigi, I can’t leave you alone at all. It’s our last summer before we have to get real jobs, man - you can’t sneak a smoke under the boardwalk and go back to your future office like this in a few months, you know!” Jonas pinched his cheek and Matteo shoved him away, getting flour all over his face.</p><p>“Let me have my fun while I can, Mom. Now, beat it! I see Hanna up in that line and you don't want to keep her waiting, I’m sure.” </p><p>Jonas perked up instantly and bounded away to the register, where Matteo could see Hanna in her sky blue polo, clearly on a break from her job at the soft-serve place next door. Matto smiled  - he was happy that she and Jonas had finally gotten back together after dancing around each other for the past few summers. But this also reminded him, yet again, that this was the last summer that they would all be here together. </p><p>Matteo turned back to his workstation, lost in thought. He never would have imagined all those years ago that a summer job he was forced to take would so profoundly shape his life. </p><p>It had all started the spring of his sophomore year of high school. His father had been on his back for months about his buddy Mack, how he owned a few pizza places down the shore in Ocean City. How he could set Matteo up with a job so he actually did something with himself this summer, as opposed to the year before when all he did was sit in his room alone and play video games.</p><p>Finally, Matteo had agreed just to shut his dad up. So, a month later, he had found himself alone, suitcase in hand, standing in front of the ramshackle house a block from the beach that Mack rented for his summer employees. </p><p>And, somehow, what Matteo assumed would be a shitty summer slinging pizza to drunk tourists on the boardwalk turned out to be the best summer of his life. It’s not that he had <em> no </em> friends, back home. He had just never really gotten close with any of the guys at his school, and girls were obviously a complete mystery. Being deeply confused and closeted did not help much either. He had always just been lonely; he had been that kid who you didn’t really notice at the back of the classroom, the one standing on the sidelines at the party. </p><p>But Abdi and Carlos, and especially Jonas, who had turned out to be his roommates in Mack’s ramshackle house, had just clicked with him like no one else had before. They worked together during the day, and sometimes late into the night, and they spent their days off on the beach or throwing parties in the shared beach house. They all vowed to return the next summer, and they actually managed to stay in touch during the school year, their respective northern New Jersey hometowns being somewhat adjacent to each other. </p><p>Jonas, in particular, was a shoulder for Matteo to lean on when his father finally left for good, when his mother was struggling - and when Matteo got way, <em> way </em> too drunk one night, tried to kiss Jonas, and then freaked out and cried in his arms. So much for a smooth coming out.</p><p>But Jonas held him until his tears dried, sobered him up, and tucked him into bed. In the morning, Matteo felt like shit, but also like everything might just be ok. Jonas was still very much straight - but he was Matteo’s best friend, and they would figure it out, eventually. </p><p>And they did. That next summer, Jonas started dating Hanna, the cute redhead who worked at the soft serve place next to the pizza parlor. Matteo had his first kiss with a cute, dark eyed boy who worked at the custom t-shirt counter, stamping shirts with suggestive slogans on them while he flirted shamelessly. That romance fizzled out fairly quickly, but not before a few spit-slick handjobs under the pier, and one memorable blowjob in the back office of the store. </p><p>There had been a few more flings, over the years, as Matteo followed Jonas to college, Matteo’s father’s guilt paying for his tuition and his weed habit. But they were only flings - nothing that lasted, nothing that felt <em> real </em>. He stumbled through the next four years as best he could, spending every summer working at the pizza place with his three best bros and the collection of friends they made over the years: Hanna and Mia from the soft serve place, Kiki and Sam from the little hippie clothing boutique a few stores down, and Amira from the saltwater taffy and fudge shop.</p><p>So, the summers were great - but the school year was harder. He hit a low point, early on in freshman year of college, smoking every day and almost failing all of his classes. But Jonas was there for him, dragging him into a meeting with a therapist from student health, and Matteo was better, now, in some ways. He still struggled with anxiety and depression, he still smoked more often than he should, but he had managed to graduate, even if he had no idea what he actually wanted to do with his life. </p><p>He shoved that thought away as he shoved the finished pizza into the oven - this was, as Jonas had said, their last summer before they headed off to real adult jobs, and to whatever came after that. They had all graduated from college earlier that spring, but had made a pact to come back and spend one last summer working together - so Matteo wanted to actually enjoy it. </p><p>Matteo’s shift ended late that night, the boardwalk almost empty as he headed home with the boys. Matteo looked out to the water as they walked, the long amusement pier of roller coasters, rides and carnival games stretching out into the ocean. But then he paused for a second, confused at what he was seeing and wondering how high he still was. The victorian-style mansion at the edge of the amusement park pier was normally dark and deserted, looming over the ocean like some vast and hungry black hole. It had been a big haunted house attraction in the 80’s, he knew, but had shut down after a small fire back when he was a kid, and had sat there for years all closed up and gathering dust. </p><p>But now? The mansion was lit up from within, light shining through cracked windows like jagged, broken teeth. </p><p>“Oh man!” Abdi had clearly noticed the lights as well, “Look! Is the haunted house really open again?”</p><p>“Yeah man -” Carlos added, “Kiki told me that some investor who went there as a kid bought it over the winter and did a complete restoration, it must finally be open! Dude, we have got to check it out one night!”</p><p>They boys agreed, and Matteo shrugged, too exhausted to care after their long busy shift. When they reached the beach house he walked up the stairs and fell into his bed in a daze, slipping into a sleep filled with dark, quiet dreams. </p><p>...</p><p>The next few weeks were a blur - making endless pizzas at work, drinks with friends, games of skee-ball at the arcade, and one too many painful sunburns. </p><p>The boardwalk was somewhat quiet as Matteo walked home alone on a Friday night. The boys had left earlier, heading to some party, and Matteo had pretended he needed to deep-clean his station to avoid having to go with them. He loved his friends, and he hated the idea of spending the night alone - but he could only take so many parties, sitting on the sidelines and feeling lost while everyone danced around him. </p><p>Through the thinning crowds he could see the lights from the haunted mansion at the edge of the pier. The past few nights it had been swarming with teenagers, and even some smaller kids with their parents, hundreds of people rolling in bright-eyed and excited and emerging shaken or still-screaming. It was late now, too late at night for most of the children, but a few guests still trickled in and out. </p><p>Matteo had been fighting the itch to go inside for the past few days, really ever since the night he heard it had opened up again. But something about how fucked up it felt to be actively <em> desiring </em>to be scared kept him away. Not that he expected it to really scare him, but still.</p><p>Despite his efforts to have a good last summer with his friends, to push off the thoughts of what came after, Matteo was utterly failing at his attempts. It didn’t help that suddenly everyone seemed to have plans for the fall. Jonas was already accepted into Columbia Law in NYC, Carlos was going to work for his dad’s construction company, and Abdi had snagged an entry level job at a company that sold - windows? Water heaters? Something with a W. Even the girls were gathering up plans, either grad school or jobs. Matteo felt utterly alone in his lack of motivation, in his confusion as to what came next with his career or his life in general. </p><p>Jonas had already secured a two bedroom apartment for him and Matteo near campus, starting in September. Not that Matteo had a job in New York, or really any attachments to New York in particular. It was just easier to let Jonas decide what they were doing next. He wasn't worried about rent, his dad had been paying that since he fucked off and abandoned his family halfway though Matteo’s junior year of high school, and he figured he could milk that guilt for another few years. But the thought of being in this city of millions but doing nothing, sitting alone in an apartment while Jonas went to school, was terrifying. </p><p>He just felt...flat. Thin, like jelly scraped over dry toast. While he was at college, while his days had structure and he was surrounded by people he cared about, he thought he had been doing better. But lately he had felt adrift, unmoored, like he was slipping back into the darkness he had worked so hard to pull himself out of. </p><p>Ultimately, he knew he would be ok - he got a degree in computer science because it seemed like the right thing to do, but lately he was less and less sure of what he <em> actually </em> wanted to do with that degree. Maybe he’d end up being a barista, or working in a kitchen. He could certainly make a good pizza. So while deep down, he knew it would all work out, the nagging feeling was still there. He was still desperately searching for somewhere to land. </p><p>Sometimes, late at night, he would slip out of bed to the beach and walk out to the jetty, the long line of giant rocks that jutted out into the ocean, waves breaking against it. He would sit at the edge, legs dangling over the side while the wind whipped around him. He never wanted to fall, exactly, but the edge of fear that shot up his spine, the <em> risk </em> , was so potent that it could fuel him for days, could make the rest of the week bearble. Matteo felt so numb, lately, but in these brief moments he felt <em> alive. </em></p><p>Once, he’d gone out there late, too late, with a bottle of vodka. He'd laid out there for hours, inching closer and closer to the edge as he got progressively drunker, but never quite tipping over. That had only been a few weeks ago, and although the rush had kept him going for days afterward, it had scared him too. </p><p>So, he had spent the last few days watching horror movies after his shifts, trying to scare himself with something that was a little less likely to end with him in a casket. But it all felt far too safe, watching them while passively bundled up on his couch. The movies hadn’t gotten any rise out of him. Barely an elevated heartbeat. </p><p>Maybe this place, with live actors, with fear he could touch and smell and hold close to him, would do the trick.</p><p>He doubted it, but it certainly seemed to be terrifying the rest of the boardwalk, so he found himself walking slowly toward the looming mansion.</p><p>High-pitched, tinny organ music filled Matteo’s ears as he walked up the stairs and through the oversized wooden doors. Instinctively, he felt his body tense up. A small, pale woman sitting behind a wooden counter took his money. “Through the door,” she said blandly, pointing to a large wooden door. Matteo accepted his change and his ticket in silence and walked past the desk to open the door, the organ music growing louder around him.</p><p>He was all alone now. The air was more stagnant, clammy, and he breathed in slowly, flashing back to claustrophobic nightmares and days spent in a haze of smoke. An old, familiar dread flared up in his belly, and he hated it, he hated it - but he loved it, too.</p><p>The only thing he could see was a faint glow coming from the other end of the room. He walked cautiously toward the light, and found that it was illuminating the bottom step of a winding set of stairs. Matteo took a deep breath, and started to climb. </p><p>As he tentatively climbed the staircase, he could hear only the sound of his own breathing and the slow creak of the wooden stairs underneath him  as he took each careful step. And then, suddenly, he felt a soft, cool breeze on the back of his neck, and low, whispering voices surrounded him, filling the staircase with their indiscernible mutterings and cries of help. He looked around for air vents or speakers, but they were well hidden. It was unnerving, to say the least, but Matteo pressed on, aware at this point that there was no turning back. </p><p>The staircase plateaued out into a long hallway lined with closed doors. Shadows and flashes of light moved in the cracks between the door frames, some doors rattled with wind, others creaked ominously. Matteo took a few steps forward and began to slowly creep down the hallway in near-darkness. He seemed to be entirely alone, and the doors all stayed firmly shut as he passed them.</p><p>Matteo was surprised by this - he had assumed that this would be the sort of place where masked men jumped out from corners, where they pushed patrons through a predetermined gamut of scary rooms, but this was something else entirely. It seemed to him that if you so choose, you could simply walk down the hallway unstcathed, ignoring the doors and leaving them closed until you found the exit. But what would be the point of that?</p><p>Finding the exit, however, proved to be the issue. As Matteo wandered around, he realized that the staircase he had walked up seemed to have disappeared, and there was no way out of the building that he could find, just the long stretch of hallway with its closed doors. It seemed that to find the exit, you would have to open a door - and maybe another door, and then another, until you located it and were able to descend back to the main floor and escape the mansion. </p><p>This was somehow much more unsettling then the prospect of something jumping out and grabbing him, Matteo thought. This was not what he had signed up for - there seemed to be no easy rush of adrenaline leaping out at him that would power him though the next few days. Matteo shuddered. It seemed you had to seek terror out, open the door, and meet it where it lived. </p><p>He grimaced a bit at the thought, but he had no choice. No time like the present, then, to meet the monsters. </p><p>The door he stood in front of was identical to all the others, but no light shone under it, no shadows moved behind it. Matteo pushed it open slowly, and walked forward into complete darkness - and heard a sickening crunch as his shoes met with a mass of something on the floor. He took another step to the side, hoping to avoid whatever it was, and then all at once he felt a shuddering whoosh of air as something came pouring from the walls onto the floor - the lights in the room suddenly flicked on and he was surrounded by a sea of bleached white bones, still cascading down from the walls. </p><p>He knew there was no way they were <em> real </em>, it had to be some sort of trick or hologram, but his instincts kicked in immediately and he booked it out of the room before it could fill up entirely, shoving aside bones as he pulled the door closed behind him. He latched it with purpose, and pressed back against it, breathing heavily. What the hell kind of place was this? But adrenaline was coursing through him properly now, and he walked up to the next door with a determined look on his face, ready to meet whatever lay behind it. </p><p>The next few rooms were a bit more tame, but a hot spike of fear still shot up his spine every time he opened another door. One room housed an old woman, sitting at the head of a grand table, clad in a mouldering wedding dress. The room was ornate, but filled with cobwebs; and the table was set with a feast clearly abandoned for decades. As he stepped into the room, she leapt out of her chair and started walking towards him, calling out in a wailing scream “My darling, is it you? You’ve come back to me after all these years? Why would you leave me like this?” </p><p>Matteo’s heart was racing, and he quickly backed away and jumped back through the door before she could catch him in her arms. <em> Just an actress </em>, he reminded himself. He closed it tightly as he walked away, still hearing the sounds of her shrieking behind him, but she made no move to open the door - it seemed, so far, that the hallway itself was a safe zone. </p><p>The next door he tried was locked. He made a quick mental note that this door seemed slightly different than the others - while the rest were just plain wood, this one had some sort of ornate metal face on the front, a grotesque demon with a long tongue. But it was locked tight, so he moved on. </p><p>Another room contained a doctor standing in a lab surrounded by disturbing creatures, parts of animals pulled apart and sewed together to create amalgamated monsters. Matteo forced himself to walk a few feet inside, heart hammering in his chest. But after convincing the doctor inside that no, he most certainly did not want to take part in his next great experiment, the doctor told him he would find no exit here, to move along. </p><p>The next was damp, smelling of sulfur, and seemed to contain a dark pool in the center, bubbles occasionally coming to the surface, but no monster breaking through - until the split second when Matteo turned around to pull the door closed - suddenly massive tentacles were coming towards him and he pulled the door shut with an embarrassing shriek. He stood in the hallway for a second, breathing deep, and realized that he had been able to see the telltale shimmery edge of a holographic projection. But still. </p><p>Room after room left him with no exit, and he was growing frustrated and more than a bit freaked out when he found himself again at the locked door with the metal demon on its front. He tried the knob again - no luck.</p><p>But then he remembered something from a long time ago- a visit with his parents to the home of some wealthy friends for a party. His mother had walked up to the grand doors at the front of the house, each adorned with a large lion’s head with a ring grasped in it’s teeth. She had pulled on the ring and used it to knock against the door. Maybe this door was the same - it would only open if you knocked. </p><p>Matteo took the huge metal tongue in his hands tentatively, pulling it forward and knocking it back against the door three times. </p><p>The latch clicked, the door swung open, and he was enveloped in darkness once again.</p><p>Standing in the pitch black, silent room, Matteo heard the scratch of a matchstick against  a striker, and saw the flame bloom against the tip of a cigar. The light from the burning tip illuminated the broad grin of the mysterious figure smoking it like the Cheshire cat - all Matteo could make out of the figure was a wide smile full of pearly white teeth.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden, the figure blew out a languid puff of smoke, snapped its fingers, and dozens of candles placed all around the room illuminated in a single burst. Matteo took a step back at this, breathing heavily from the surprise, and the room rang out in loud, musical laughter.</p><p>“I’m sorry, did I frighten you?”</p><p>Matteo looked up and was suddenly face to face with a stunningly handsome man with a smile like a hungry wolf, canine teeth sharp and pronounced. He was dressed in old fashioned clothing, and had dark, curly hair that fell over his eyes. His skin glowed warm in the candlelight, and his lashes were thick and dark. </p><p>The man - the boy, really, as he looked not much older than Matteo himself - laughed again, low in his throat, and took another step closer to Matteo, holding out his hand in a welcoming gesture that somehow still felt laced with poison. Matteo knew he was acting, that he was just another obstacle to pass on his way out of the house, but the tension in the room felt far more potent than anything else he had experienced that night.</p><p>“I do apologize that you are only now making my acquaintance - it seems that you may have been waylaid by some of the more...<em> eccentric </em> members of my household.” he said with a grin. “But allow me to introduce myself - I am David, the master of this house and all the horrors within. I do my best to contain them...but don’t we all slip up sometimes?” His voice was gravely and low, but laced with honey, and Matteo felt it roll through him like a warm wave and settle somewhere deep within his stomach.</p><p>Matteo stood still as David crossed the room. But he could not stop his eyes from raking up David’s body as he stepped towards him, eyes flicking down to the open throat of his shirt and the snug fit of his tightly tailored pants. Matteo’s mouth opened ever so slightly as he imagined peeling off his shirt, opening up the buckle of his belt with deft fingers...and by the time Matteo tore his eyes away to meet David’s, he was faced with a mischievous looking grin, and he knew that he had been caught looking. </p><p>Matteo swallowed thickly, embarrassed. David only smiled wider and continued his advance, slowly backing Matteo into a corner of the room. Matteo let himself be led, almost like a dance. David was bold, but gentle - Matteo could have pulled away at any second, but that was somehow the last thing he wanted. Matteo tried to steady his breathing, and licked his lips unconsciously, but then quickly bit back his tongue, suddenly conscious of how it might look. </p><p>David laughed softly, and Matteo felt the pace of his breathing quicken, his chest rising and falling rapidly. </p><p>“What brings you here tonight?” David asked with a wide smile. “Normally I give everyone who walks through that door my prepared speech, spook them a bit, lure them over to the trap door in the floor, and then...boom!” David canted his head to the side with a wink. “But I feel like that’s not exactly what you came for, right? A cheap, momentary thrill?”  </p><p>“I have no idea what I’m doing here...” Matteo whispered, feeling like his voice was stuck in his throat. He knew he <em> should </em>be feeling apprehensive at the proposition of a complete stranger crowding into his space, but mostly he just felt a rush of pure adrenaline, deep in his chest. He felt it spread down into his spine as David pressed a soft hand onto his collarbone. </p><p>A few tight curls framed his face as he leaned into Matteo’s space, his hand like a hot brand through the fabric of Matteo’s cotton shirt. “Do you believe in fate?” David replied. Matteo was silent, stunned. “Ok, then. I’ll take my chances and try to scare you, for real. That’s what I’m here for, right?” He laughed softly.</p><p>David stroked Matteo’s face carefully, and Matteo nodded. David whispered in Matteo’s ear as he pressed up against him. “What kind of monster can I be for you tonight? A vampire, perhaps, is that what you like? I’ve got the fangs already. Or maybe a werewolf, about to shift and take you as my prey - is that what you came here for, huh? Everyone comes here looking for something, I find.”</p><p>David smiled, wide and warm, and his hand ghosted down Matteo’s neck to gently flatten against his chest. Matteo gasped slightly at the press of David’s hand - he could feel it reverberate over every inch of his skin, and it was thrilling.</p><p>David brought his face up, his breath ghosting against Matteo's lips, their noses gently brushing. “So what will it be, then?” he asked in a whisper.</p><p>Matteo swallowed, gathering his courage to throw caution completely to the wind. Then, he brought his hands up from where they had been locked at his side to tangle in David’s hair. He pulled him into a bruising kiss, tasting honey on his lips and smelling his deep, smokey scent. Matteo could feel David laughing into his open mouth, possibly surprised, and he let out a low groan deep in his chest as he surged forward to deepen the kiss, his tongue brushing against Matteo's and running along the edge of his bottom lip. David pressed his body back against the wall, his fingers threading into the hair at the back of Matteo's neck. </p><p><em> There </em> was the rush that Matteo was looking for. </p><p>Matteo’s whole body felt like a live wire, and so many conflicting thoughts were running through his mind that the only thing he could concentrate on was the moment, the strong grip of fingers on his side, the soft hair against the palms of his hands, the low burning in his gut. Matteo untangled his fingers from David’s hair and ran his hands down David’s back, pulling him closer. </p><p>But before he could get a firm grip, a small chime sounded in the room, followed by a sharp knocking on the door. David pulled away suddenly, looking surprised and almost sad. He laughed to himself, shaking his head. “Damn. You win, I guess. But while this has been <em> lovely </em>, there’s only one way this was ever going to end.” David placed his hands on Matteo's sides, pulling him forward to the center of the room, and then grabbed a small figurine on the side table at his left, deft fingers grasping around the smooth metal. David's face broke out into a smile like the cracked edge of a broken mirror. “I guess I’ll have to see you in my dreams.” </p><p>Matteo felt like he should run, should claw his way past David and get out of the room, should kick himself for <em> kissing </em> this random stranger - but all he could do was stand there, glued to the spot as David cranked the figurine forward and the trap door opened up beneath him like the yawning mouth of hell.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>David woke up again in a cold sweat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> His room was pitch black, except for the eerie glow of the moon reflected on the ocean, light undulating softly as the waves rolled in outside his window. Another nightmare. In a thrilling twist of events, his dreams of late had been a more dark, sexual version of his typical anxiety-based scenarios. He kicked off the covers and tried to steady his breathing, running his hands up and down his body to steady himself. He felt the flat plane of his chest, the dip of his belly button, the muscles of his upper thighs. It was grounding - he was here, in his body, awake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been nearly two weeks since he kissed the boy in the haunted house, the boy whose blue eyes were haunting his dreams every night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even after all this time, he’s still  not sure how it happened. He had been at work like any other night - sticking to his script and ad-libbing as needed, occasionally having fun with a particularly silly or scared guest. But then the door opened once again, and when the candles flicked on, David’s mind went blank. The boy standing in the doorway took his breath away - hair mussed, cheeks bright and flushed, a mix of fear and determination in his eyes. And he looked at David with this sense of awe, ran his eyes up and down David’s body like it was everything he had ever wanted, and David lost his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His thoughts had all collided sharply - </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss him, kiss him, you’ve never seen someone who so desperately wants to be kissed</span>
  </em>
  <span> but at the same time </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the hell are you thinking, you’re at work and this is a stranger and you are gone from this place at the end of the summer. This is not allowed to happen. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t stop himself from teasing, from touching, from </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanting</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was everything David could do to keep from kissing him unprompted. But then - the choice was made for him, and what could he do but kiss back? Kiss this boy who smelled like fresh bread and warm butter and rain, whose body melted into his hands like putty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then - reality. The chime sounded, letting him know another set of guests was knocking at his door - and what choice did he have? He didn’t get to keep this - he didn’t have time for this to mean anything. So David sent him down the trap door, and pushed the boy out of his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If only it was that simple. Even since that night the boy had invaded his thoughts, and he could not shake this nagging sense of unfinished business. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he needed to move on, to get over it. It had been a very unexpected and very hot few minutes with a mysterious stranger, and one day he would laugh about it as an episode from his misspent youth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>David groaned quietly, twisting around in his bed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Easier said than done. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had been thinking about the boy almost constantly over the last few weeks. He just couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, in those few minutes, he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>clicked</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him in a way he had never felt before - the single kiss they shared was burned into his memory more forcefully than any of his past forgettable flings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David sighed and grabbed his phone, glancing at the time. 3am. Plenty of time, still, to try to sleep. He grabbed his earbuds and clicked to his favorite sleep playlist, his body feeling less and less tense as the waves of sound rolled over him. He curled around his pillow like a lover and closed his eyes, willing himself back to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next evening, David was running on the beach along the edge of the water. It was pitch black but still warm out, despite the breeze coming off the ocean. The salt spray of the water mixed with his sweat, dripping together down his bare chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He liked running at night - the dark, silent void of the beach often helped him clear his mind. Tonight, he was trying to concentrate on anything but obsessively running over the details of today's shoot. It was not </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> working. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he had approached the owners of the haunted house about working there for the summer in exchange for use of their space for his short film, he had been pleasantly surprised by how quickly they accepted his offer. The plot was good, he knew that: a modern day vampire who works at a haunted house, the only night shift job he can find - dressing up and ‘pretending’ to be something he already is for hundreds of tourists a night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David related deeply to the parallels with his own life - the layers of complex identity, the feeling that you could be failing somehow by being who you </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> are. And it was going well. The majority of the script was solid, his fellow haunted house performers had been eager to participate, and he had carved enough free time out for filming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had been so unsure about casting himself as the lead, since he really preferred to be behind the camera. But he was having fun playing the part of the reluctant vampire, and it helped him keep tight control over the project - since he was funding it himself and shooting it on his phone, with a friend from college who lived nearby assisting him with the actual filming. But he had still not landed on an ending.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ran through the options over and over as he ran down the shoreline. Part of him wanted to end it all with a bloodbath, unleashing the vampire’s true potential on the patrons of the haunted house and the fellow performers who often treated him cruelly. But on the other hand, he knew his character had a deep sense of pity for his fellow performers - would he spare just those few who had treated him kindly? Or would he leave without killing anyone at all, in fact? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the possibilities tangled together in his mind, and his head was swimming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He barely noticed the person laying on the beach at the edge of the ocean, before he was tripping over him and falling to the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the -” David shouted as he tripped and rolled over into the sand, trying hopelessly to steady himself while falling on top of this random stranger. The person - a boy - let out a high pitched yelp, then groaned as David’s elbow punched directly into his side. Their bodies tangled and they rolled over, and David was suddenly flat on his back looking into the face of the boy from the haunted house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy looked dazed, dreamy, slightly drunk. He smelled like weed and salty sea air. He blinked a few times, and looked at David with a mixture of confusion and awe on his face. David was breathing hard, somehow both panicked and relieved - fate, messing with him again. What were the odds of </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally</span>
  </em>
  <span> tripping over this boy on the beach, like a terrible movie, like his life was actually a joke. But at the same time - fuck, David might get to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss him again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David pulled his thoughts back together and sat up as the boy disentangled himself from David’s legs. “I’m sorry, I had no idea you were there - to be fair, why would someone have been there - sorry, not the point, are you ok? I think I might have kicked you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy looked at him in a daze, rubbing his eyes. He slowly reached out his hand and touched David’s face, just for a second, then pulled back suddenly like it had burned him. David saw a flash of wonder, a flash of fear, a flash of desire all run through his eyes.  “David?” he asked, confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David was taken aback at this until he remembered that of course, he always introduced himself at work during his opening monologue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks, glad for the cover of darkness. He laughed quietly, mostly to himself, and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to dislodge the sand and tame it back into something slightly presentable. His brain was a mess - when they met for the first time in the haunted house he had felt more confident than ever, cocky and bold. But now? Confronted with the prospect of having to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and not a character? His head was a complete shambles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The boy let out a shaky breath, pulling his legs up to his chest and hiding his face in his hands. When he peeked back out, David could see the smallest edge of a smile forming on his face. “Are you sure this isn’t a dream? Because I walked away from this dumb party -” he gestured far across the beach, where David could see the faint outline of a bonfire, silhouettes dancing around it, “because my friends were trying to set me up with some, ...some stupid looking guy with a pink polo shirt, and I wasn’t sure how to explain to them that don’t want that, because I can’t stop thinking about this guy who may or may not actually be named David, who kissed me once and then threw me down a trap door? Who I definitely figured I would never see again?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy sighed, like the effort of stringing so many words together was overwhelming him, and buried his face back in his hands. “I’m Matteo, by the way,” he mumbled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Matteo. </span>
  </em>
  <span>David rolled over the name in his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Matteo.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wanted to push Matteo back into the sand and moan that name into the soft, pale skin of his neck. He wanted to gasp it, biting his tongue as he - </span>
  <em>
    <span>keep it together</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reminded himself again. Don’t get caught up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But at least for tonight, he was already caught. Could it be so bad to let himself have this, just for the night? </span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stood up, brushing the rest of the sand from his body. He could see Matteo’s eyes scanning him, again, running down his body and across his chest. He grabbed the tank top shoved into his waistband, pulled it on, and summoned the somewhat tattered pieces of his typically confident persona. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reached his hand down and grabbed Matteo’s, gently tugging him up. David flashed what he knew to be one of his most charming smiles, pulling Matteo close enough that he could whisper in his ear.  “Hi Matteo - I’m David. Nice to meet you. Want to ditch your friends and run away with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo answered him with a shy smile. David took off, and they started to run down the beach together, hand in hand. David knew exactly where he was taking them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the entrance to the boardwalk amusement pier it was shuttered for the evening, lights off and gate closed. Matteo looked at David with a soft, confused expression on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was adorable like this. He was panting, clearly winded from their short run, and he was clearly still somewhat tipsy, limbs loose. David shot back a challenging glance, and gestured like he was about to climb over the tall gate. Matteo’s eyes quickly widened in fear at the prospect of climbing the huge gate, and David burst into laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry - I’m one of the closers at the haunted house, so I have a key to the side gate in case of an after-hours emergency.” He smiled at the obvious relief on Matteo’s face. He walked over to the edge of the gate where there was a small door. He unlocked it, gesturing for Matteo to follow. “I take it this means my brilliant plan to climb the rock wall together might be a bust?” he teased, laughing as Matteo rolled his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo quirked his eyebrow and giggled back, and David could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>it, this thing building between them, thick and pliable like taffy. It was already pulling David in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David grabbed Matteo’s hand, pulling him along through the park, weaving around the dark and slumbering rides. The park was magical at night, in it’s own way, with moonlit shadows thrown from the dark, quiet rides that rose up around them like great slumbering beasts. The silent log flume, water still churning, the hanging baskets of the ferris wheel swinging slightly with the strong ocean breeze. In the distance he could see the line of food stalls, a few still lit as their employees cleaned up for the night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David was walking them towards his intended destination when Matteo suddenly swerved, dragging them towards the food stalls. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was he doing?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Matteo might be a tad higher than he previously thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo pulled David along the line of shops until they reached one that was still lit up, with a bright red and white striped awning. Matteo walked up to the counter with a tipsy, confident swagger. “Mohammed! I hope it’s not too late for a midnight snack?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A guy, who David assumed was Mohammed, was crouched behind the counter cleaning. But he popped up with a grin at the sound of his name. “Matteo? How the hell did you get in here? Actually, nevermind. I’ve heard one too many stories from Abdi and Carlos. You're in luck, we were swamped tonight so I’m stuck here late, and I haven’t cleaned out the fryer just yet. You want a dozen?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please!” Matteo smiled, and David could see him sort of haphazardly pawing his pockets for a wallet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t bother! On the house for you and your uh, gentleman friend there?” Mohammed flashed him a teasing grin, and David could see Matteo’s cheeks heating up. “Oh, like you’re one to talk - by the way, any luck with Amira lately?” Matteo teased back. David didn’t know who that was, but by Mohammad’s face, he sure did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mohammed paled slightly, and turned around to grab their food out of the fryer. “Don’t you worry about that. Now,” he thrust the white paper bag at Matteo, “take this and get out of here, and I will continue to pretend that I saw no one trespassing after hours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo laughed, grabbing the bag and two sodas from the cooler as they walked away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David snagged one of the sodas from Matto and took a sip. “I thought I was the one leading you on a mysterious evening adventure, here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll find it hard to surprise me, at least on this boardwalk,” Matteo said with a laugh. “I’ve been coming to Ocean City every summer since I was a kid, I know all the tricks. Although I have to admit it’s my first time here after hours. I’ve never bothered trying to get around the fences.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David smiled at that. “Hmm, I guess I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> showing you something new, then. I’ve never been here, though, before this summer.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo smiled, shoving him slightly in the side. “Never!? Well then, stick with me, as a New Jersey native and an Italian it’s basically my birthright. I can show you everything you need to know.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David felt that offer spread over him like a warm blanket - he wanted to wrap himself up in it and stay awhile. “That must be nice, to have a place like this to come back to every year. It seems like you've made some good friends, too.” He smiled at Matteo. “I might have to take you up on that tour guide offer. So, for starters - what kind of food did he even give you back there?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo stopped suddenly, slapping his hand over his heart. “David, I’m floored. I don’t know if this can ever work out between us. You’ve never eaten a zeppole?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A what?” David asked, totally confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A zeppole!!” Matteo said, shaking the bag theatrically. He rooted around in the bag and grabbed what looked like a fried dough ball coated in a thick layer of powdered sugar. “This right here is truly the pinnacle of New Jersey culinary achievement. I think my best friend Jonas and I ate our body-weight in these while high the first summer I met him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David fixed him with a skeptical look just to get a rise out of him, but it was hard to resist Matteo’s somewhat impish charm. “Ok, I’ll bite.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David moved to grab the zeppole from Matteo’s hand, but Matteo swerved away at the last second. David tried to move sideways and grab his wrist, and Matteo jumped back slightly and then stuck his hand out, swiping the zeppole across David’s mouth, smearing his lips with powdered sugar. Matteo giggled, trying to pull back, but David grabbed his waist and reeled him in close, pushing their bodies together up against an ornate golden pole. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had walked right up against a massive carousel, the maze of brightly painted wooden horses quiet and still in the dark. Matteo squirmed for a second, trying to break free, but David held his waist firmly. Matteo was beautiful like this - flushed, smiling, hair falling over his eyes. David grabbed Matteo’s arm and captured his wrist, turning it slowly to bring the zeppole over to his mouth. He took a bite, feeling the soft, yielding texture of the dough and the sweet, melty sugar on his tongue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared into Matteo’s eyes as he licked his lips, trying to clean them off. Matteo’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, he looked again like he had back in the haunted house - lost, confused, desperate to be kissed. So who was David to deny him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David leaned in and kissed Matteo, soft and slow, the taste of sugar still lingering in his mouth. Matteo kissed him back, licking his lips, and letting out a sharp, quiet whine as David pushed their bodies together. The paper bag in Matteo’s hands crinkled and tore as David almost dropped their drinks, and they soon collapsed into shared giggles as they tried to keep a hold of everything and keep kissing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David pulled away for a second, leaning his forehead against Matteo’s. “Maybe we should eat first? And sober you up a bit?” Matteo nodded, eyes shining, and he shoved the rest of the zeppole into his mouth with a smile. David laughed and playfully pushed him away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a quick look around them, and noticed one of the larger horses, crafted with a saddle that looked like it could seat two. David walked over to the horse and jumped on it’s back, holding his hand down for Matteo to join him. “Join me on my noble steed, dear sir?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo turned his face up towards David with a shy smile. “Ok - but who's asking? Is it  mysterious David from the haunted house who pushed me down a trap door? Or the David who awkwardly tripped over me tonight then whisked me away on an adventure? Because I’m having a bit of trouble putting the two of them together.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David sighed as Matteo joined him on the back of the horse. He wasn’t sure himself, if he was being honest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were facing each other now, legs splayed out over the sides of the carved wooden saddle, Matteo leaning back against the golden pole that thrust out of the horse’s back. Matteo opened the zeppole bag and handed one to David, then took one for himself. They ate in a comfortable silence as David gathered his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean it’s both me, really? In some ways. I’m not good at letting people in. I think sometimes it’s a lot easier to pretend to be the other David, the one who doesn't need to care.” Matteo was quiet, like he sensed that David wasn’t finished. David took a deep breath and dove in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I’m not straight, obviously,” he said, gesturing vaguely between himself and Matteo, ”but I’m also trans.” David glanced up tentatively. Matteo didn’t look confused, or scared, he looked like he understood, like he was waiting for David to say whatever he needed to say. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I grew up in this small town in western Pennsylvania - I was basically the only non-white person, which was never easy - but then, when I came out senior year, it was like a whole new wave of people being terrible. Teachers using my birth name, even though they </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>my name was David, and just constant shit from my classmates. I kept my head down, and I got out ok, but I can’t say I have a single friend left there.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David took a deep breath, wondering if he should really be sharing all this with someone who was basically a complete stranger, despite the kisses they had exchanged. But this boy, this confusing and charming and lost boy, he had pulled out the cork - and it was all spilling out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But then? I went to college in New York City, and it was like a complete 180 - but not always in a good way. Everyone I met was totally fine with me being trans, and I was passing much better by then, anyway, but it was almost just as hard because I became like this - object? Like a prize? Like people could get their woke-cards filled by being friends with me or hooking up with me. And it sucked in a whole different way. It helped with my confidence, definitely, so many people wanting to know you. So I just sort of became the person everyone wanted me to be, like this cool artsy jock guy who didn’t care about attachments, who was above all that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David felt like he was rambling, but Matteo was still listening intently, and he felt like it might be ok to let it out. “I sort of threw myself into some really dumb relationships, back to back to back, but I pushed them all away when they go too close, when they started to see more.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s head was swimming, but he tried to push the words out through his messy jumble of thoughts. “So now? I’m sometimes not sure who is real - the David who decided in high school that he didn’t need anyone, that it was better to be alone? Or the David in college who was so overwhelmed by the prospect of having friends that he needed everyone to like him too much? But really, neither of them let anyone in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo smiled up at him. “I know what you mean, in some small ways. Not that I can relate to what you went through, of course. And not that I pushed anyone who got too close away down a conveniently placed trap door.” Matteo winked up at him and David laughed a little to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo continued, stumbling a bit over his words. “When I came out in high school, it was after a really hard year, I was depressed and anxious and lonely. So when I finally came out I was like - great! Here's the thing that’s been making me feel so shitty, and now it's out, like...I'm going to get better now.” He laughed, darkly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “So I tried to be that person, that person who was totally fine, who could </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> things. Freshman year of college started off perfectly. I was rooming with my best friend, I made gay friends and trans friends and queer freinds at the LGBTQ things I forced myself attend, I was doing pretty good in classes...and then it all just fell apart again and backfired horribly. And now? It’s better, these past few years, with a lot of therapy, but it feels so fragile. Especially lately, since graduation? It’s been harder to be one person all the time...it feels like the darker part of me is winning sometimes.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo looked away, embarrassed. “That’s why I came to the haunted house, actually. Sometimes I just feel so numb...It’s like I’ll do anything just to </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> something, even if it’s scary, it’s better than feeling nothing at all.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David leaned in closer to Matteo, gently tugging him forward so they were face to face. He was trying to fight the urge to let Matteo in, but he was losing, losing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>lost</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So? Did it work? Feeling something?” David asked, unsure of what he wanted the answer to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo leaned forward, burying his face into the curve of David’s neck. “I think it worked too well,” he whispered, like it was a secret. David could feel Matteo’s hot breath on his neck, Matteo’s lips ghosting down his skin but never touching. “I went back to the haunted house two more times, looking for you. But I just missed you, I guess.” Matteo kept his face hidden, whispering the words into David’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David felt whiplashed, again. He had noticed how Matteo could be so bold one second, then so unsure the next - bouncing from playful and laughing to quiet and pensive. It was like everything he felt just flowed out of him the second he felt it, no filter at all. David almost admired it. He kept everything behind so many walls that sometimes he was sure it would all collapse around him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David felt a shiver run down his spine, and not just because of Matteo’s lips brushing against his throat. He felt awe - and he felt like an asshole. Who was this boy who would come looking for him when he had pushed him away after just one kiss? It was flattering, but mostly scary - he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>this thing between them, getting harder and harder to ignore, and it was terrifying. He had no idea what he wanted anymore - to be the person who embraced his feelings, or ran from them? Both options had utterly failed him in the past. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo pressed a gentle kiss to his neck, so soft he barely felt it. David could feel the tension in his body melt away at that simple touch. Matteo’s hands wrapped around his waist and David surrendered to the moment. He gently lifted Matteo’s face and kissed him, twining his fingers in Matteo’s soft hair and pulling him closer. Matteo was pliant, soft, and their bodies knit themselves together as they kissed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David could picture them, like a shot in a movie - the long shadows cast by the shuttered rides, the ornate golden accents of the carousel gleaming in the moonlight, the bodies of two boys becoming one among a sea of silent horses. He fixed it in his mind, holding it close before tucking it away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was so easy to kiss, to manipulate, to pull and push into shape. He melted into David’s hands, soft and pliable, and he gasped as David pulled him closer, licking his way down the line of Matteo’s throat. Matteo’s hands wrapped around David’s back, slipping under his shirt to slide over sweat damp skin. David could feel a low, deep pulse between his legs, and he pulled Matteo further into his lap, feeling Matteo warm and hard against his thigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was breathing hard, his chest flushed red as David pulled down the collar of his shirt and bit down on the pale skin of his neck. Matteo laughed, gasping and grinding down into David’s lap. “I should have known you were a vampire.” David smiled against Matteo’s throat, and bit down harder, drawing out another gasp. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David was dizzy with want, with Matteo in his lap, warm and willing, and he was struggling to hold himself together. Matteo’s fingernails scraped down his back and he bit back a low moan, barely stopping himself from thrusting down against the painted saddle of the wooden horse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Keep it together</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He hated feeling out of control like this, feeling like his emotions and his raw need would overwhelm him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, when Matteo kissed him again, David pulled back suddenly, grabbing Matteo’s hands and placing them on the golden pole in the horse’s back. David grabbed the reins, winding the thick woven strap around Matteo’s hands, loosely binding them to the pole above his head. Matteo smiled at him, eyes hooded with desire - wicked, willing, eager to let David take control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David slid off the edge of the horse, and he pulled Matteo around to the front so he was sitting side-saddle, hands still bound to the pole. David held him around the waist, kissing down his soft stomach and reveling at the high, keening whines Matteo was failing to suppress. Matteo’s thin swim shorts came off easily, and David slid his hands up to cup the soft curve of Matteo’s backside as he bit down on his inner thigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was muttering, somewhat incomprehensible, but David could swear he heard “...fucking vampire I swear to god….” He smiled to himself before taking Matteo into his mouth. Matteo gasped, wrapping his thighs around David’s neck to keep from sliding off the saddle, and David teased him, licking slow stripes up and down. Matteo was stunning like this - broken open, bound, barely keeping himself together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David was still high, but the way he liked it - in control, in charge, able to keep a safe emotional distance even as Matteo squirmed under his tongue. Or at least that’s what he wished he felt. Something about this was so charged - Matteo’s scent was intoxicating in a way he had never felt, he was so soft and yielding, he was beautiful and open in a way that confused and intrigued David. It was terrifying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was gasping harder now, choking back his little whines, and he thrust forward and came with a shuddering moan. David coaxed him through the aftershocks, and kissed a line up his belly as Matteo’s breathing slowed back down to normal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David looked up at Matteo, who answered his gaze with a soft, blissed out smile. Matteo pulled his hands free of the binding and pulled his shorts back up, sliding down the side of the horse into David’s arms. He kissed David, deep and slow, and slid his hands down David’s stomach, moving towards the waistband of his running shorts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before he could go any further they were hit with a sudden beam of shockingly bright light, and David could hear a dog barking and growling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck - security! </span>
  </em>
  <span>He reacted instantly, as did Matteo, running away through the horses with the guard close behind them, Matteo breathless and laughing at his back.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they burst out of the back of the carousel, David could see two options - the wide promenade of open space between to their left, or the entrance to the funhouse on their right, with its winding mazes and hall of mirrors inside. No way this security guard, who David could hear huffing and puffing behind them, would follow them into this funhouse maze - they could just hide inside and slip out after he left. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David bolted towards the yawning clown mouth of the entrance, Matteo close behind him. The stairs to the doorway were steep, and Matteo tripped, dropping David’s hand. As they entered, David could still hear the guard shouting at them, coming towards the entrance, and they ran forward, the long, dark hallway swallowing them. David was panting, heart going a mile a second from the whiplash of it all - the surging feelings for Matteo he was trying to control, to his own arousal, and then their very sudden interruption - the hallway was pitch black and overwhelming around him as he ran forward, Matteo lagging slightly behind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hallway shifted abruptly, canting to one side, and David fell into a round, rolling funhouse tunnel. He scrambled forward, sightless, and managed to crawl his way through to the other side and climb out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All of sudden, the lights flickered on around him, motion activated, and he could see thousands of reflections around him in the hall of mirrors - but he was utterly alone. Where the hell was Matteo?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David tried to retrace his steps back to the dark tunnel, but his phone was dead and the pitch black hallway mocked his lack of flashlight. There must have been forks in the hallway? Another path leading to different mazes? He walked back towards the mirrors, moving slowly around corners, but the only person he met was his own reflection - hair and clothes a mess, mind even messier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked through the twisting mirror maze for what felt like hours, running up against dead end after dead end. Finally, after who knows how long, he made his way through the mirrors and found the exit. He breathed a sigh of relief, expecting to see Matteo waiting outside for him, waiting to wrap him back up in his arms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But all he was met with was the still, quiet night - no guard, no dog, and Matteo nowhere to be found.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Four days, three very sleepless nights, two long shifts at the pizza place, and one flour related disaster later, Matteo’s patience was wearing thin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were in the thick of the lunch rush, pizza slices flying off the shelves as the hungry crowds pressed in around them. Matteo was up to his elbows in flour, trying as fast as he could to get pizzas made and in the oven, but he was barely holding on to his last shred of sanity. He had slept poorly since the night at the carousel, since David had held him and kissed him and shared secrets with him - right before he lost him, again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo still had no idea how it happened - one second, they were running down the dark funhouse corridor together, David right in front of him, and in the next second he heard a crash and he was alone in the dark and David was gone. He doubled back down the hallway, but all he could see with the faint light of his dying phone was a series of forked passageways, each one leading to a different fate. He decided it was better to wait in the dark of the hallway for the guard to leave and then head back out the front to find David at the exit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, when he got outside a few minutes later, David was nowhere to be found. Matteo’s optimistic side wanted to think that David was just hiding from the security guard, and that he hadn’t ditched Matteo, </span>
  <em>
    <span>again.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Matteo made a half hearted effort to walk around the outside of the funhouse just in case, looking for any sign of him, but he couldn’t bring himself to try too hard. In his heart he knew the deal - David had left him again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had done it before, hadn’t he? Pushing Matteo down the trap door when they first met. David had been honest with him, when they talked on the carousel - he was clearly scared of letting anyone get close enough for it to mean anything. Matteo couldn’t help but think he wasn an idiot to think that he felt something big growing between them, that David opening up to him before they hooked up meant anything at all. So why bother waiting around for David when he had clearly gone home without Matteo? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, Matteo had left the park and walked home alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After that night, he had sleepwalked through the past few days - Jonas and the others sensing that something was up, but not prying any further than that. To top it off, he was somewhat hungover. He had taken a bottle of wine out to the jetty again last night, a habit he told himself again that he needed to break, the drinking alone and feeling sorry for himself. But summer was coming to a close soon enough, and he still felt so lost - and now, he had lost track of the one person he had connected with in a way he had never felt before. For the second time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow, Matteo forced himself to go through the motions to make it to the end of his lunch shift, and managed to slip away when the guys suggested they walk home together. Jonas gave him a concerned look as he made his excuses. Matteo felt an overwhelming surge of guilt, hiding all this from his best friend. He promised himself that he would talk to Jonas soon and let him know what was going on. He just needed a little more time to process how he was feeling, to let himself move on from the thrill of his fleeting connection with David. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His excuse wasn’t entirely fabricated, anyway. It was Wednesday, and that was the day they made the weekly batch of creamsicle saltwater taffy at the shop where Amria worked. Matteo made a habit of stopping by every week to say hi and grab a little fresh baggie of it, hot off the huge taffy pulling machine that was set up in the back of the shop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo walked down the boardwalk, willing himself to feel better. The sun was shining, the breeze from the ocean was cool on his face, and he was here and present in the moment and would be ok. The effort </span>
  <em>
    <span>mostly</span>
  </em>
  <span> worked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Having reached the familiar green and white striped awning, Matteo smiled automatically when he walked into the candy shop, with rows and rows of flavored fudges and saltwater taffy as far as the eye could see. Matteo had such warm, fond memories of this place from summers as a child. He took it all in - the freshly cut bricks of fudge piled up on the counter, the shelves of colorful baskets bursting with confections, and the giant windows in the back of the store where you could watch the taffy being pulled and sliced. A line of kids peered raptly through the window, faces pressed against the glass watching the long strands of taffy twist and turn on the machine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As always, Amira stood behind the counter, slicing chunks of fudge and dealing with a long line of customers, her bright pink hijab tucked into her green and white striped apron. She gave Matteo a hurried little smile, so he figured he would pick out some things first while she was busy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Walking through the aisles, Matteo chose taffy flavors to add to his bag at random - some pieces of bright orange mango, a handful of yellow and red striped strawberry banana, a few salted caramel. He was eyeing the bin of a new flavor, molasses mint, when someone brushed by him in the aisle. Matteo turned, his ears perking up at the cheesy pop music blaring from this person’s headphones, and - </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck. It was David.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>David didn't seem to have noticed Matteo, headphones on and eyes on the shelves. He was dressed in bright red swim trunks and a tight black tank top, and Matteo literally felt weak in the knees, eyes drinking in the broad span of David’s back and his strong, toned arms, arms that had held Matteo while he - </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyway</span>
  </em>
  <span>. God, Matteo was so done for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo found himself stuck, rooted in place as he tried to quickly gather his emotions. Part of him, the angry, sad part, wanted to leave without saying a thing - for all appearances, David had ditched him twice now, and Matteo didn’t know if he could take a third time. No matter how attractive David was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But there was no way Matteo could ignore that they had just found each other </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, totally unprompted. He would try to talk to David, at least. But he needed to play it cool - if David could be casual, so could he. Not that the feelings he had been trying to suppress were anything resembling casual. He felt it again when he looked at David, that pull of fate that he wanted so much to believe was real. Matteo knew he would regret walking away from it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo took a deep breath and walked forward - </span>
  <em>
    <span>chill, casual, fancy seeing you here. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo rounded the corner and slid into David’s space, a bright smile on his face. David looked confused for a second, and Matteo felt a flash of fear that he had made the wrong decision - but then David’s face broke out into a wide smile that made Matteo’s heart melt. Fuck, he was so beautiful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David pulled off his headphones, and the song playing from them was now unmistakable. So confused by the choice of music and so blinded by David’s smile, the first thing that came out of Matteo’s mouth was: “Wait, is that Carly Rae Jepson?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David looked a bit sheepish, and pulled his phone out of his pocket to turn off the music. Matteo laughed and playfully grabbed David’s wrist, turning the phone screen towards himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it! Wait...are you seriously listening to a playlist called ‘Songs I blame straight people for letting flop’?” Matteo grinned, teasing. He would have guessed that David would be playing something more mysterious and soulful, maybe a little bit indie. Looking  bashful, David quickly grabbed his phone back from Matteo’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t judge me!” David yelped, defensive. “I like plenty of deeper music, but sometimes you just have to let loose with a little dance pop. And the title is on point: there are some truly devastating losses on here in terms of hit potential.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo threw his hands up, laughing and backing down. “Ok, ok, you’ve got me there! To be fair, I recognized the song through your headphones, so I can’t judge you.” David put his phone back into his pocket and Matteo glanced down at David’s other hand, which held a bag stuffed with a massive amount of pale pink saltwater taffy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Matteo knew the flavors here like the back of his hand, and this was certainly unexpected. Matteo burst into laughter, unprompted, and David looked confused. Matteo smiled up at him and poked the bag of pink taffy. “Ok, wait, nevermind - I take back anything I said about not judging you. Is that a bag filled with </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> teaberry flavored taffy? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Teaberry?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matteo pretended to look aghast at the prospect, which, to be fair, was somewhat genuine. Who even liked that strange spicy mint flavor, let alone bought an entire bag of it? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David grinned, this time with a wicked edge to it, and Matteo felt a shiver run down his spine. “Don’t you dare! I’ll take the hit for the playlist, but teaberry is the perfect flavor - it’s nostalgic, it’s just minty enough, it’s got an aesthetically pleasing tone, it’s the full taffy package.” David looked very pleased with his defense, and his eyes were dancing with challenge, with potential. Matteo could barely stop himself from kissing him right there in the shop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So to stop himself, Matteo fired back. “Wow, ok, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aesthetically pleasing tone</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we got an artist over here. You win. To be fair, I’ve actually never tried it, I have too many bad memories of the flavor from stale Valentine’s Day candy hearts.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s eyes sparked again with a challenge. “I guess it’s my turn, then, to make you try something new?” He reached into his bag and grabbed a piece of pink taffy, unwrapping it with his deft fingers. He brought the piece of taffy to his mouth, biting it in half and chewing slowly. He then held out the other half, tilting his head with a wicked grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He edged closer, crowding into Matteo’s space, and Matteo’s mouth fell open as David’s fingers brushed his bottom lip, pushing the small piece of soft taffy into his mouth. He took it, lips closing for just a second around the tip of David’s thumb, and he could feel every nerve ending in his body alight as David pulled his hand away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo chewed silently, never breaking David’s gaze, and he gathered his courage again as he swallowed. “Not too bad. I’ll let you have this one.” He touched David’s arm carefully, running his fingers down David’s soft, caramel skin. “I’m glad I found you, again. Do you want to maybe pay, and...walk down to the jetty with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely.” David replied, to Matteo’s surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amria gave him a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> skeptical glance as he paid for both his and David’s bags of taffy, but Matteo had practiced his ‘we’ll talk about it later’ gaze enough to escape without having to field any prying questions. They made their way out to the jetty, Matteo laughing but then offering a hand as David slipped a bit on the rocks. They sat at the edge, legs hanging over the side, and ate their taffy as they watched the sun set over the water. They talked about safe, easy things - further debates over taffy flavors, Matteo’s favorite things to cook. David told Matteo about a short film he was making, and Matteo managed to not tease him too much about playing a vampire in it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their bodies were close, but not quite close enough to touch. Every few seconds Matteo would sneak a peek over at David to watch the tones of fading light play across his face, the strong line of his jaw and the soft line of his lashes. Matteo’s heart clenched every time, like an idiot. David's eyes never left the sunset. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, it was dark, the ocean almost still, the lights from the boardwalk throwing shadows along the beach. They had fallen into a comfortable silence, and David’s phone was playing music - this time set to speaker, something more mellow and soothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo wanted to disappear inside the little bubble they had created, to wrap himself up in David’s arms and never leave. This jetty was the place he had come all summer, late at night when he was alone and drunk and scared about the future. But now, being here with David was the opposite of all of that - Matteo was clear eyed and sober and happy in a way that terrified him, if only because he knew that this peace would only ever be a fleeting moment in time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo inched his hand across the cold stone and nudged David’s fingers slightly, tentatively. Somehow this felt like a much more meaningful and loaded gesture than their hookup on the carousel, like if David pulled away now Matteo might as well give up and go home. But, to his surprise and delight, David took his hand slowly, rubbing his thumb along Matteo’s palm as he turned his head to look at Matteo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you ever read </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Great Gatsby</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” David asked. “Or see the film, really. It’s one of my favorites - I’ve always loved Baz Lurhmann’s films, and to me it’s the third in his trilogy of masterpieces about doomed lovers - Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, and then Gatsby.” David laughed a little at himself. “Sorry, here I go falling into film student mode. I get very in my own mind about things, sometimes…” David trailed off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo had no idea where this train of thought was coming from, but he knew he would follow David’s mind anywhere it wanted to go. “Um...yeah, you know, in high school. When we were </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be reading the book. I remember liking it a lot right until the ending. I actually was like, really sad about it, I think? When it all falls apart.” Matteo rubbed the back of his neck, a bit sheepish, afraid he sounded stupid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The ending is my favorite part,” David replied, looking out across the shoreline. “I mean, it’s obviously sad, for sure. But it’s beautiful, in it’s own way.” David pointed down the shoreline, to a distant pier. “Do you see that green light, at the end of the pier?” Matteo squinted, and he could see it - the dark wooden pier jutting out into the silent ocean, the green light shining bright at the end to alert passing boats of its presence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just like in the film, the green light on the other side of the water.” David turned and smiled at Matteo, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Gatsby looks out at the green light every night, the light that shines from the dock of the house of the woman he’s in love with. The love he somehow must know he will never have. How he did have her, once, but he left and missed the chance to be with her in any real way. So now he’s stuck in the past while hoping for the future, stuck there looking out at the green light. I love the way the lines from the book come alive on the screen in the last few minutes - how does the last line go, again? </span>
  <em>
    <span>So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David looked away again, out into the dark waters of the ocean. His voice was strong, laced with conviction. “I feel like that line all the time lately. I have worked so fucking hard to get to where I am, I have burned so many bridges, and I don’t regret those past choices at all. Because they weren't a </span>
  <em>
    <span>choice</span>
  </em>
  <span>, in any way, it was the only way I could live. I was so sure of myself for so long. But now? When I think about the future, I do feel hopeful, but I just worry it’s all going to fall apart in my hands. That in thirty years I’ll be stuck out at the end of a dock, dreaming of something that slipped through my fingers.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s voice was beautiful, melodic, and he strung words together in a way Matteo had never heard before. Matteo was struck again with that </span>
  <em>
    <span>pull,</span>
  </em>
  <span> that feeling he couldn't shake. “Do you believe in fate?” Matteo asked, tentatively.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David laughed a little. “I think I asked you that first, didn't I, the night we met? But then it was just part of my script.” He turned towards Matteo with a deep, thoughtful gaze. “So, do you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo wasn’t even sure what his own answer was, even now. It had been easier, most of his life, just to cling to the idea that he didn’t have any control over what happened to him, that he could float powerlessly along the current of his life without making any waves and it wouldn't matter that he felt too scared to try anything else. But what kind of life was that? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was hard to deny that this </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt </span>
  </em>
  <span>like fate, felt like the certainty you were supposed to have when things were meant to be. It seemed so much more solid and certain and real than anything else had felt in months. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did, when I was younger...and I think I still do. Not about everything, anymore.” Matteo took a deep breath, voice a bit shaky. “But...I feel it, when I’m with you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David smiled, but the expression was sad, laced with uncertainty. “I never wanted to believe in it. I want to believe that I can make my own choices, that they’ll be the right ones, that fate has nothing to do with it. But sometimes? It’s scary, when I feel something like this, something I can’t explain away.” David seemed hesitant, his voice quiet. “You were not in the plan for this summer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s words were a punch to the gut. The uncertainty was making his head swim - clearly David felt something for him, something more than a casual hookup. This would normally have thrilled him, but Matteo could sense how reluctant David was to embrace it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was the plan?” Matteo asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David sighed. He pulled his hand away from Matteo’s. “Honestly? Get in, make some money working and and make my short film, and then...I’ve got a job lined up in LA in the fall, on a movie shoot. My sister lives out there, and I’m moving in with her. I think it’s the only place I can really make something of myself as a filmmaker. So about the last thing in the world I needed was to meet someone from the east coast who I can’t get out of my head.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matteo felt like the bubble of hope slowly building in his chest had just exploded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But…” David trailed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I can’t sit here across from you and act like I don’t want to kiss you despite all that, like I don’t want to...ugh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” David buried his head in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo smiled, moving into David’s space, taking David’s hands and prying them away from his face. “I mean, we could go do that, if you want,” he said, teasing despite how confused he felt about everything. David was flushed, embarrassed, but he smiled back at Matteo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don't want you to…I mean…” Matteo stammered. He wasn't sure what he was even trying to say. Normally, he waited to ever speak up unless he was totally sure of his words, until he had processed everything, but he felt like if he missed this moment it would all crumble around him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So instead, he kissed David, and let himself stop thinking about everything else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s kiss was soft, tentative, until it very suddenly wasn’t. David’s arms wrapped around Matteo and pulled him into his lap. Matteo let himself be pulled and surrendered to the feeling of David’s hands running along his back, David’s soft, full lip caught between his teeth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo felt dizzy with want as David held him, kissing and licking down his throat as they sat at the edge of the jetty, bodies tangled. Matteo was punch drunk, vision blurring at the edges, the bright neon lights of the boardwalk behind him blending into a kaleidoscope of colors. David’s hands slipped under his thin cotton shirt, slid under the waistband of his shorts, and he was utterly lost to it, all the reasons why this was a terrible idea be damned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were still kissing hungrily, David’s strong hands holding him when the wind off the ocean picked up, sending a spray of salt water into both of their faces. They pulled apart, water running down their cheeks, and Matteo laughed at David’s expression, all pinched up with eyes closed against the strong wind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to come back to my place, maybe?” Matteo whispered, wiping the water from David’s face. “My roommates are out for the night and I have my own room, anyway. Less chance of getting swept out to sea, at least.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David nodded, silent but eyes shining, and kissed him one more time before pulling them up to carefully climb off the jetty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They could barely keep their hands off each other as they walked back to Matteo’s, play-fighting and kissing in turn as they raced down the boardwalk and onto the quiet streets beyond. The air was laced with the tension of their earlier conversation, but Matteo had firmly pushed it to the back of his mind in favor of the immediate needs of his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was once again thankful that he only lived a block from the beach as they reached his front door, David sliding up against his back and kissing the nape of his neck as he fumbled for the key. They fell up the stairs and into Matteo’s bed, David pushing Matteo down into the soft covers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David smelled like the salt spray of the ocean, like minty teaberry taffy, like clean sweat and the smoke of a beach bonfire. Matteo buried his head in the crook of David’s neck as David’s fingers combed through his hair, as David’s deft fingers made their way to the button of his shorts. Matteo was blissed out, falling fast, but he wanted so much to make this good for David, too. He had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span>, had to know that Matteo had been dreaming about this for days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, hold on,” Matteo said, moving David’s hands up to wrap behind his neck. David’s face was puzzled but interested, and Matteo pushed himself up until they were sitting face to face. Matteo slipped his hands under David’s shirt, running along the edge of his waistband. He smiled up at David, his cheeks slightly warm - he wanted to be flirtatious, coy, but it was hard for him without feeling a bit embarrassed. “We got interrupted, last time at the carousel, so I think it’s my turn.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s face lit up, and his smile was sharp, wicked, reminiscent of the boy who Matteo had met that first night in the haunted house. But this time, the other David was there, too, the one who tripped over him on the beach and teased him about taffy, the one who Matteo was quickly falling for in a way that seemed irreversible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David kissed him, hands cradling his face. “Ok, you win. Just - have you ever, you know?” David didn’t seem unsure, or worried, but Matteo smiled and kissed him, pushing him gently onto his back. Matteo had been thinking about it all week, dreaming about having David  when he thought he might never get the chance to see him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo pushed that intrusive thought from his mind. They were here now, together in this moment, and that was all he could find the space to care about.  He shook his head. “Just tell me if I royally fuck it up, ok?” he teased, and David grabbed him and pulled him down into a kiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tugged off his shirt and helped David pull his off too, kissing down David’s chest slowly. He could feel David squirming under him, trying to bite back a gasp. Matteo felt playful, devious, sucking and biting down until he could hear David break, hear a soft whine as David’s legs wrapped around his waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo kissed down lower, pulling off David’s running shorts and briefs, burying his nose in the rough, dark hair on David’s thighs. David was wet, panting, gasping as Matteo pressed soft kisses to his skin. Matteo’s head was spinning, breathing in David’s scent, his taste. He tried to take it slow, to concentrate on listening to every tiny sound that David made, to focus a soft brush or hard press of his tongue on the places that made David cry out or whimper softly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He almost lost control every time he glanced up to see how David’s face was tight with pleasure, to see how his dark lashes fluttered with every stroke of Matteo’s tongue. David was like a painting, like a porno, like a massive wave crashing over him on the shore. David’s hands were locked in Matteo’s hair, pressing and pulling with every stroke, and soon his thighs were shaking, body clenching up with a low moan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David sagged back into the bed, body going slack, and he dragged Matteo back up, pulling him into a wet, messy kiss. David licked into his mouth as Matteo melted, sinking into the embrace of David’s arms, body weak and wanting. Suddenly, David pulled him in close and deftly flipped them over, so David was now gazing down at him with a look Matteo could not quite place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But all other thoughts promptly flew out of Matteo’s head as David ground down on him, pressing down where Matteo was rock hard between his legs. David looked at him, questioning, and Matteo nodded </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span> as David pulled off his shorts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David stroked him once, twice, three times, kissing him all the while. Matteo could feel every place where David’s skin was touching him like it was on fire, like he would burn up into nothing by the end of the night. David was beautiful like this - curls hanging over his eyes, skin flushed with sweat, a sly little smile on his face each time Matteo gasped. David leaned down, licking at Matteo’s earlobe, and whispered, “I want you to fuck me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo nodded, head buzzing and full of need. Matteo pressed against David’s thigh, trying to stay composed as he reached toward his nightstand, fumbling through the drawer to find a condom. Matteo fumbled, hands shaky, but David grinned and grabbed with his deft fingers. David ripped it open and rolled it onto Matteo, leaning in for a kiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was alight, panting and on the verge of begging, when David finally straddled his hips before sinking down and taking him in slowly. David groaned, grinding down and pushing Matteo’s hands back into the bed. David fucked down onto him, carefully at first, and then faster, as Matteo tried to focus on every little sensation as it washed over him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo wanted to remember this forever: the look on David’s face, concentration cut through with bliss, David’s strong thighs locked around his hips, David’s gentle hands stroking his face as they kissed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David was so careful with him, holding him close as they moved together, and Matteo surrendered to him like a port in a storm. They rocked together until David was thrusting forward, bearing down on Matteo’s hips as his whole body shuddered again. Matteo felt it in every inch of his body and he came with a whine, pulling David’s head into the crook of his neck as the pleasure flooded him. David pulled him in tight, raking his hands down Matteo’s back as they both came down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David collapsed next to him, panting, and their bodies curled together in the center of the bed. Matteo looked over at David, head still spinning, and kissed him once, softly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David pulled back, and fixed him with a puzzled gaze. Then, all of a sudden, he pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Matteo’s nose, before pulling back again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that for?” Matteo asked, confused. David looked away, like he was embarrassed, cheeks flushed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” he muttered, turning back to face Matteo. “Sorry. You just have the cutest nose I’ve ever seen. I had to.” Matteo smiled, cheeks teaberry pink and flushed, and kissed David again, twining their bodies together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few minutes, Matteo yawned into David’s mouth, laughing quietly and breaking their kiss. “Sorry,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “I haven't been sleeping super well this past week...or this whole summer, really. I actually almost fell asleep at work the other day. You can only make so many giant, pillowy balls of dough before they start to look appealing…” He smiled and fell forward, nestling himself into David’s chest. It was pushing one in the morning, and the events of the evening had left him exhausted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David pulled Matteo into the curve of his body, and Matteo let himself fall into sleep, arms wrapped around David. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo slept well, no insomnia or nightmares to disturb his sleep. He woke up slowly the next morning, limbs heavy and listless with sleep as he stretched out in his bed. Sleepily, he felt around, expecting to find David curled up on the edge of the bed, but his eyes flew open when he realized the bed was instead empty and cold. Matteo sat up, confused, and noticed a piece of thick, heavy paper folded on his nightstand. He grabbed it and opened it to find a note from David.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo read it over and over again, feeling his heart drop into his stomach, feeling his pulse quicken. He crumpled the note up, throwing it to the floor, and he buried his face in his hands. His heart was racing, and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why would David do this? And what was he supposed to do now?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Matteo, </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you really believe in fate? I’m still not sure I do. But if it’s meant to be, I think we will find each other again. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>I guess until then I’ll have to see you in my dreams.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>David</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>David sat on his bed alone, watching the sunset. The soft, golden rays of fading sunlight flooded the room, painting his surroundings in tones of dark and light. Seagulls circled past his window, their silhouettes against the watercolor sky. It was a beautiful sight, and yet David wasn’t enjoying it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When David took the summer job at the haunted house and got permission to make his film there, the owner had offered him a deal to rent the unused office space at the top of the central tower of the old mansion. The room was small and dusty, with barely enough space for a futon and a minifridge/microwave combo, but it was cheap and the ocean view through the massive bay window was breathtaking. David spent what little free time he had curled up in bed gazing out at the ocean, lost in thought and making plans for the future. It was normally calming - the steady breaking of waves, the slow movement of the tides in and out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But today, watching this sunset, he was anything but calm. Because all he could think about was the night before, watching the sunset on the jetty with Matteo. David still felt raw, overwhelmed from it all - from their conversation and from the way Matteo had kissed him. And had then taken him back to his bed, and made David feel like his whole world was spinning off its axis. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And of course, like he always did, David had panicked and run away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Coward.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Left that stupid note, telling Matteo to try and find him again. He’d spent the entire day in bed, mind racing, and he was still so lost and unsure of what to do next. He hated that he was so afraid, but Matteo scared him in a way he was completely unprepared for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He also felt so guilty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d let Matteo think that fate had brought them together the third time, when they met yesterday in the candy store. But really, it had been David.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After they lost each other in the funhouse, David was rattled, upset. At first, he decided to take it as a sign - fine, fate - </span>
  <em>
    <span>I lost him again, and I’m moving soon anyway, this is a perfect opportunity to get over it</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But after three nights of seeing Matteo in every dream, and phantom sightings of him around every corner, David finally broke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David found the zeppole stand in the amusement park where Matteo’s friend </span>
  <span>Mohammed </span>
  <span>worked, and he begged him for Matteo’s number. Mohammed gave it to him, and also sent him over to Amira. After meeting her at the candy store he charmed out of her the intel that Matteo stopped by after work almost every Wednesday. So he had waited, and they had met again - no thanks to fate at all, this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, after all that - David still ran away from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David took out his phone and stared down at it, finger hovering over Matteo’s number. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> call him, should try to apologise and explain everything. What was he waiting for? He felt like shit, leaving Matteo with only a note and nothing else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But in the moment, lying awake in bed the night before as Matteo slept in his arms, it had felt so overwhelming. The idea that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to choose Matteo, that he felt like he would burn down his entire life for Matteo’s soft smile. It had been terrifying. And he had panicked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, now David was paralized with indecision. Should he call Matteo? Or should he wait and see if Matteo was right about believing in fate, that if things were meant to work out they would, that Matteo would find him before the end of the summer. If it was truly </span>
  <em>
    <span>fate </span>
  </em>
  <span>that brought them together</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fate.</span>
  </em>
  <span> David had always hated the idea of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So it was up to him, then - the answer was obvious, staring him right in the face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck fate</span>
  </em>
  <span> - he was choosing Matteo, and they could figure out together what came next. David didn’t want to be stuck staring across the water, thinking about his lost chance at love thirty years from now, regretting what he might have had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David steeled himself and pressed Matteo’s name on his phone to call him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But instead of hearing the ringtone through the phone, he could suddenly hear the sound of a phone ringing just outside the door to his attic room. What? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly there was a harsh, pounding knock on his door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David, very confused, walked across the room to open the door - and there was Matteo. Eyes rimmed red, face soft but determined, hair messy and beautiful, and David was so gone for this boy, he was so gone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before he could apologise, before he could explain, before he could tell Matteo to pick up the phone still ringing untouched in his back pocket - Matteo exploded, words pouring out of him in a way David had never heard before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you leave me like that?” Matteo’s voice was thick, on the verge of tears. “I spent all day in bed, depressed after reading your letter, but then, I was like - wait. Fuck fate, I’m finding him. Turns out, Jonas’s ex-girlfriend Leonie works the front desk at this haunted house some days, and she was on shift tonight. She told me you were renting this room, and let me through the staff door, and now here I am.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo was incensed, pacing around the room and wringing his hands. David was silent but spiralling, trying to let him speak but also wanting to shout over him. “Though I’m not sure what I wanted from you, really? I guess just to ask you why? Why would you kiss me and tell me your deepest secrets and fuck me senseless and then just leave?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last thing he wanted was to yell back at Matteo, who had done nothing to deserve David’s anger, but David’s head was suddenly overflowing, his feelings like hot lava spilling over. He couldn't stop himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t understand!” David shouted back, and his eyes burned with tears. He wiped at his face furiously. “I had a plan! I’ve had this plan for so many years, it was the only thing that got me through the night sometimes - I was going to get the hell out of my stupid little town, I was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>David</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I was going to film school and moving to LA to make movies and it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> fucking close to all working out that I can’t let myself have anything else that might get in the way of that, ok? I kept myself on this track at the expense of everything and everyone else in my life, I can’t have done that for nothing. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go.” David slumped against the wall, defeated and drained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo’s face twisted in anger as shouted back, more worked up than David had ever seen him. “And why should that have to change, David? There are phones, emails, video calls, hell, there are even these things called planes, they fly though the sky and help you visit people who live far away? We don’t have to just give up because it might be hard at first! Trust me, because that’s nearly always my first instinct, I’ve bullshitted my way through every major decision I've ever been faced with - but you make me want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a way I’ve never felt before. Fuck!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo turned away, clearly flustered, and paced back and forth around the tiny open space in David’s room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I’ve listed to that stupid playlist too many times today while I ran around looking for you,” Matteo continued, “Yes, I found it on Spotify, the one you were playing yesterday, it’s obviously the only playlist called ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Songs I blame straight people for letting flop</span>
  </em>
  <span>’, but I just have to say one thing to you and then I can fuck off and out of your life if </span>
  <span>that’s what you really want.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo turned around and walked towards David, looking fiercely determined, but then his face softened and he turned, hiding his face in his hands and quietly muttering what sounded like, “I really, really, really, really, really, really like you, David.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s heart was pounding, and he could feel a million conflicting thoughts racing through his mind and bleeding out of his ears. He wanted to scream back that it would never work, that they would fizzle out before they even got started, why go through all the pain. That long distance was doomed to fail and that’s why he was right to stop them before it got too hard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But a smaller voice was telling him that this was it - the moment he might live to regret, the green light across the water he would be stuck looking back on for the rest of his life. But he had to be sure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you say?” David asked, moving closer to Matteo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo turned around and fixed him with a glare. “I’m not saying it again. God, I can’t believe I just quoted that stupid song.” His face was bright red, and he looked like he was about to turn away again when David grabbed him, pulling him closer to rest their foreheads together. Just that simple touch was enough to ground him instantly, to settle his thoughts and pull him out of the miasma of his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a pretty good song, I think.” David whispered in Matteo’s ear, “I really like you, too. That’s why I feel so scared. But - take out your phone?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo looked at him, face soft with confusion, and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He clicked it on, and David could see the missed call at the top of his notifications.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you see that number, the call you missed when you were walking in? That was me, me calling to apologize, I’ve had your number for almost a week but I was so terrified to use it, so convinced that I had to stick to my plans and that you would derail them - but, fuck, Matteo, after I came out of the funhouse the other night and I couldn’t find you, I was desperate. I got your number from Mohammed, I set up that meeting in the candy store with Amira because I wanted to see you again so badly. I’m sorry I let you think that I didn’t care about you, I’m sorry I left you last night.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Matteo’s face was breathtaking as he took it all in - his eyes were shining with tears, but his smile was broad and beautiful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They breathed in and out together, slowly, taking a moment to hold each other and calm down. Matteo carefully wound his arms around David and whispered, “I want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make this work more than anything else in my life. You make me feel brave, feel happy...you make me </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a way I was afraid I had lost the ability to. I want us to try. I mean...if that’s something you might want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think - I do,” David said, trying to muster up his somewhat dormant bravery. “I want to try, too.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leaned in and kissed Matteo, soft and gentle, and led him over to the bed where they curled up together, Matteo resting his head on David’s chest as David did his best to calm himself down. His mind was still all over the place, but he felt centered, anchored by Matteo’s touch, and for once, it didn’t scare him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mind wanted to race, planning ahead as always - the next few weeks together, the next six months apart, when he might have a break or the funds to visit - but he tried to quiet those thoughts, at least for now. He concentrated on the moment - Matteo’s hand in his, Matteo’s breath warm on his neck, the easy way in which their bodies fit together. They would figure out the future, together this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He did have one idea, though, that was rapidly taking shape. “Matteo?” he asked quietly, running his fingers through Matteo’s hair. Matteo hummed in response and snuggled closer. “Would you want to be in my film?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ummm...sure! What?” Matteo said, turning his head up with a confused smile. </span>
  <span>“Me, be in your movie? Does this mean I’m really going to see you again?” He gestured to the bed, voice teasing. “There’s no trick staircase on this thing? Hidden door?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David shook his head, shoving him lightly with a smile. </span>
  <span>“Ok, ok, I deserved that. But let me tell you what I’m thinking for the film…” David said, starting to detail the ending he had just dreamed up, rambling all his ideas out to Matteo, who soaked it all in with a dreamy smile that made David’s heart clench. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They talked late into the night - and this time, when Matteo fell asleep in his arms, the last thing David wanted to do was run.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was another week before David was able to finish the script for the movie’s ending and also set up a schedule for shooting the last few scenes. David helped Matteo with his lines over quiet dinners together, offering him kisses and bites of food when he nailed each scene. They both laughed until they cried while picking out Matteo’s costume, David forcing him to model some truly ridiculous combinations at the thrift store. To David’s horror, Matteo actually bought a few of the more vibrantly patterned sweaters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What exactly did I get myself into, fashion-wise?” David teased, pulling Matteo in close and kissing him in the dressing room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally came the night they had arranged to shoot the final scene of the film.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David wanted the ending to be open to interpretation, something that could be seen as uplifting or horribly grim, depending on the viewer’s interpretation. In it, the main character makes a sudden but bold choice, just like the one David was making with Matteo. David’s character, the vampire stuck working nights at a haunted house, is running thin on patience for his fellow haunted house workers as well as for the patrons who treat him poorly each night. He’s losing the last shreds of his empathy towards humans. For weeks, he plots and dreams about his final night of work at the end of summer, for how he’ll rip the throats out of each and every one of them, leaving their bodies where they fall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A truly haunted house left in his wake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All summer, David thought that was where he would end the film - the vampire heading out into the night alone, sated and dripping with blood, walking himself towards an unknown future.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Matteo changed everything, including the ending - both David’s, and his character. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The setup for the final scene inside the haunted house was simple. It all seemed so obvious, now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily, it was raining outside, setting the scene as water gently tapped at the old wooden windows. David was in his costume, checking angles and talking over details with his film school friend who was manning the camera. They set up the shot, they dimmed the lights, David got into place near the figurine that activated the trap door - and just like the night they first met, Matteo knocked on his door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David flicked the switch that opened the door, and was met with an overwhelming wave of deja vu - Matteo standing across from him, apprehensive but determined, and open to anything that might come his way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scene plays out much the same as it did in real life, with a darker, supernatural twist. Matteo as a more shy and vulnerable version of himself and David as the vampire, a more coy, aggressive version of his haunted house character. When he backs Matteo against the wall and Matteo kisses him, his character is even more shocked and overwhelmed with a sense of fate than David himself was that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kissing Matteo, even in this artificial setting, was just as thrilling as the first time. Matteo’s lips were soft, and even in costume he smelled like himself - warm bread, salt air, sweet taffy. David’s hands trembled as they ran through Matteo’s hair and David was on fire, weak and wanting like every other time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David’s character is overwhelmed by emotions he hasn't felt in 100 years. He can’t shake the strange feeling of destiny that surrounds this unassuming human, and the desire not to take him and drain him, but to instead make himself a companion. Suddenly, in an instant, all his plans change - who cares about his fellow employees, and the rude clients in the house that night. They can keep leading their small, miserable lives. Because he has a new life in mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scene ends with a dramatic escape from the haunted house, both of them jumping down the trapdoor together and running away through the pouring rain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The final shot of the movie was an extreme wide shot, David and Matteo’s characters silhouetted out on the jetty in front of a full, bright moon. All the viewer can see before the screen fades to black was this - two bodies coming together as David’s vampire bites Matteo’s throat, bringing him to his knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So the audience is left wondering - did the vampire kill his new obsession, too overwhelmed by lust and longing to control himself? Or, did he make a new vampire - taking a chance on companionship with this new, surprising person, this person who he feels so drawn to by fate?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The audience could decide for themselves, David thought, as his little crew cheered after the final shot was done. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David kissed Matteo one last time as they stood on the jetty, rain pouring down around them and the spray of the ocean in their eyes. In the end, it didn’t matter what the audience thought - because David knew what his ending was.  </span>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>ONE YEAR LATER</p>
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<p>The sun was bright and blazing overhead, the breeze from the beach barely put a dent in the humidity, the boardwalk teemed with bodies, and Matteo was <em> far </em> too high for this. </p>
<p>The waiting was killing him. </p>
<p>He hadn’t been smoking nearly as often in the past year, but he had indulged before he left his beach motel room in an attempt to calm himself down. The joint had been slightly effective, but he was still a bundle of nerves standing in the amusement park waiting for David.</p>
<p>Six months had passed since they had seen each other in person, although they video chatted almost every night. But the last time Matteo had held David in his arms was when Matteo had flown out to LA for Christmas and New Years. So it had been way, way too long.</p>
<p>But now? They were finally seeing each other again for a weeklong trip back to the very same beach and boardwalk where they met. And, at the end of the week, they would take a cross-country road trip to drive Matteo’s car out to LA - where Matteo was moving, for good. </p>
<p>Matteo thought he should maybe feel apprehensive, or concerned about uprooting his whole life, but all he could feel was excited. Still, being back here at the boardwalk was making him nostalgic. He thought over the last year in his mind, the time since he had last set foot on the boardwalk. </p>
<p>Besides missing David constantly, it hadn’t been a bad year. Lots of fun nights with Jonas in their shared apartment, making ridiculous sandwiches and drinking too many beers. A few amazing weekend trips with friends, a few less amazing desperately lonely weekends. </p>
<p>Matteo was still unsure about his long-term job prospects, but he had spent the past year working at a cafe, bussing tables and helping out in the kitchen when the chef had time to teach him a few things. Mostly, he was doing ok with not knowing exactly what he wanted to be doing with the rest of his life. The only thing he was really sure of was that he wanted to spend it with David. He would miss Jonas and his other friends from his summers down the shore fiercely, but he knew they would see each other on video calls and planned meetups and annual pilgrimages back to the place that had made them all friends. </p>
<p>David, busy as ever in between assisting on film shoots, had lined him up with a job interview at a bar near his apartment for after  they made it to LA. Matteo was fine with that, for now. He trusted much more these days that the things that were meant to be would fall into place, and that he had the strength to confront the things that didn’t. A little bit of fate, and a little bit of taking matters into your own hands.</p>
<p>Matteo checked his phone again - David was a few minutes late, but no call or text yet. </p>
<p>They would have already been reunited, since David’s flight got in a few hours ago, but David was sentimental. He wanted Matteo to meet him here, on the boardwalk, not at the airport. So David was taking the train down and here Matteo was, waiting for him in front of the carousel. Matteo had rolled his eyes when David first suggested it, but secretly he loved the idea of seeing David after so long at the spot where, in Matteo’s mind, they had their “first date”. </p>
<p>Matteo was pacing, eyes scanning the crowd, when suddenly someone grabbed him from behind and pulled him close. He yelped, jumping back, but then instantly he knew - <em> David </em> . Matteo turned around and was met with David’s beautiful, mischievous smile. He was also holding a white paper bag that could only contain <em> one </em> thing. </p>
<p>“Zeppoles!” Matteo shouted, pulling himself out of David’s arms and grabbing the bag, checking inside. After confirming the contents, he turned back up to flash David a wicked grin, teasing him by trying to play it cool. “Oh, and I guess it’s nice to see you, as well.”</p>
<p>David smiled even wider, and who was Matteo kidding? He was powerless to resist. He lept into David’s arms, almost knocking him over with a bruising kiss. He held David close, burying his face in the curve of David’s neck, and he never wanted to let go. “I missed you so much,” he whispered. “Never that long apart again.”</p>
<p>David wrapped his arms around Matteo and kissed his forehead. “Not if I can help it. We have all the time in the world, now.”</p>
<p>They rode the carousel, fingers sticky with sugar, and walked through the funhouse, together this time, holding hands as they wove through the hall of mirrors. They stopped at the taffy shop, where David actually consented to trying a few flavors besides teaberry. They played a few rounds of skee-ball at the arcade, Matteo narrowly beating David after a stunning final round upset. Finally, they walked along the beach until they reached the jetty. The sun was just starting to set. Soon they would meet up with Matteo’s friends to kick off a week of goodbye parties mixed with summer fun, but for the moment, it was just the two of them. </p>
<p>They sat together at the edge of the rocks, legs hanging over the side. Matteo snuggled into David’s arms as the sun went down - salt spray in their faces, waves gently breaking on the shore, the green light at the end of the faraway pier shining bright.  </p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A million thanks to my beta readers and cheerleaders, <a href="https://brawlite.tumblr.com/">@brawlite</a> and <a href="https://littlesystems.tumblr.com/">@littlesystems</a></p><p>This is a SHAMELESS ode to the vibe of the typical New Jersey beach boardwalk town and I’m mostly ok with that. A little love letter to these characters and my childhood summers, as I’m feeling nostalgic while trapped inside this year. </p><p>Thanks so much for reading, and you can find me on tumblr at <a href="https://myriophyllous.tumblr.com/">@myriophyllous</a> if you like!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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